DEX data

[tallguy]

I'm curious about downloading DEX data.  Since I'm just starting out its a topic that is a little bit advanced for me.  Still I'd like to know more about it if I decide to do it as I grow.  I've searched this forum and haven't found anything (maybe I'm looking in the wrong place).  

 

My distributor told me that all machines have a jack on them.  You can just plug a handheld device into it and it will automatically download all the data on sales, errors and everything else.  He told me the handheld cost about $500 and the software to run it cost $100 a month for the first 100 machines and $1/machine after that.  

 

The handheld doesn't seem that expensive.  The software does.  My understanding is that it is just a text file.  I have programming experience and could probably write my own quick code to parse out the stats I need the most.  I'm also curious as to whether there is anything where I don't even need to buy a handheld.  It seems like somebody somewhere should have written an app so that I could get it straight onto an iPad or a droid. 

 

Does anybody use DEX data?  What are your experiences with it? 

[AZVendor]

Your distributor might be wrong as only newer or upgraded machines can give you dex data, but from the fees he's describing he might be talking about aftermarket data ports or card reader interfaces that can extract dex data. With those devices you have to subscribe to a proprietary service that sends you the data in their format. Some providers might tailor the info for you but most won't.

Newer machines with control boards can export dex data through a phono jack or other cable to a dex handheld. You then dump the handheld and deal with the raw info. This info is even available from some Coinco single price mechs that have the multi-harness that includes the dex phono jack.

It is possible that just buying a dex handheld won't get you what you want and you might need to pay fees to use the handheld, but most people get their dex data as an add-on service from their card reader provider.

[tallguy]

Your distributor might be wrong as only newer or upgraded machines can give you dex data, but from the fees he's describing he might be talking about aftermarket data ports or card reader interfaces that can extract dex data. With those devices you have to subscribe to a proprietary service that sends you the data in their format. Some providers might tailor the info for you but most won't.

Newer machines with control boards can export dex data through a phono jack or other cable to a dex handheld. You then dump the handheld and deal with the raw info. This info is even available from some Coinco single price mechs that have the multi-harness that includes the dex phono jack.

It is possible that just buying a dex handheld won't get you what you want and you might need to pay fees to use the handheld, but most people get their dex data as an add-on service from their card reader provider.

 

How new do they have to be?  I guess I need to look closely before I buy a machine.  You don't need a card reader to use the DEX data do you?  The machine he showed me the jack on didn't have one...I don't think.  Am I correct in using DEX as an umbrella term to describe getting the data without having to write it down manually?  Are the aftermarket data ports known by another name? 

 

How many people use this data in order to analyze stuff?  I get the impression that most people just refill whats empty and don't take down the specific numbers.

[AngryChris]

I don't use DEX at all.  I believe it's one of those things that you either do or you don't do.  For virtually any kind of software that does what dex does (report raw data) won't mean anything unless you KNOW more than the machine knows.  For example, the software may report that selection A1 had 200 vends in the last 6 months.  What was in selection A1?  Was it the same product for the past 6 months or have things been put in there randomly?  Without that sort of knowledge, the dex won't tell you much.

 

On the flip side, you can simply use the machine's accounting option to tell you the value of the vends (or number of vends) and simply take note on what the machine sells or doesn't sell.  I AM one of the vendors that simply shows up and fills things back up.  The problem with trying to keep perfect data on every machine is that employees come and go, diets come and go, tastes change, and some products substitute others.  By the time you know exactly what you need in the machine (with the help of DEX), you will find out that it isn't correct anymore.  At the same time, you could simply take notes that account ABC likes Cheetos, Lays, and peanut M&Ms and they need two selections of each.

 

Is DEX useful?  Yes, I am sure it is as a matter of fact.  However, I feel confident that I can do just fine without it.  Here are my thoughts on remote monitoring software:

 

If the account is close by or on the way to other accounts, going there on a regular basis will make sure that you are always stocked up properly and software isn't very beneficial.

 

If the account is a high-yield account, you should go very often anyway and bring lots of product with you.  By the time you get there, your report isn't accurate because the machine sold even more already.

 

If the account is a low-yield account but close by/on the way, you need to focus more on expiration dates and rotating product anyway.  The profits won't warrant any kind of software anyway let alone the time it takes to create reports.

 

If the account is low-yield and far out of the way, it's probably not profitable anyway.

 

If the account is high-yield but far out of the way, it could warrant some type of software but it would also need to be serviced on a regular basis anyway.

 

If there is one thing that draws me to remote monitoring though, it's the ability for software to report machine errors.  Knowing when a machine is down before a phone call could save a lot of money in the future on a good account.  With that said, I would only get the software if it would give me this type of information and do so quickly.  I don't care so much about the sales numbers.  I could just as easily do some simply accounting on paper.